A shocking case in Europe has ignited concerns over sperm donation rules.

A donor, inadvertently taken to a genetic mutation associated with a rare cancer, has given birth to at least 67 children, out of which ten have already revealed cancer.

The sperm of the donor used between 2008 and 2015 gave birth to children born in eight European countries, which have raised immediate questions about the boundaries placed on the use of the donor and the limits on genetic screening processes.

The issue came to light during a presentation by Edviz Casper, a biologist at Rouna University Hospital in France at the annual European Society of Human Genetics Conference in Milan.

The researcher explained that the donor made a mutation in the TP53 gene, which is associated with the Lee-Famini syndrome, a rare genetic disorder known to increase a person’s risk of development of cancer throughout his life.

At the time of donation, the mutation was not known or detected through standard genetic screening.

The donor appeared healthy, and his sperm was distributed only through a private sperm bank at Denmark, European Sperm Bank. However, years later, a pattern emerged as doctors across Europe, began to notice a worrying tendency among children imagined with their sperm.

So far, 10 children have developed severe cancers such as brain tumors, leukemia, hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. An additional 13 children carry mutations and there is a high risk of future cancer development.

Casper said in a press statement, “This mutation acts like a tick time bomb. Children who inherited, require lifelong monitoring with frequent and intensive screening.”

Doctors have regularly recommended the entire body MRI, brain scan and abdominal ultrasound for affected children.

Although this process is stressful and heavy, the initial identity has already helped catch some cancers quickly, giving a better chance of surviving children to survive.

According to a report by The Guardian, the case seems more worrying that there is currently no international boundary, which can be born from the same sperm donor.

Although the European Sperm Bank has since implemented its limit of 75 families per donor, but the loss may already occur.

Julie Paully Budtz, vice -president of Corporate Communications at European Sperm Bank, said, “The matter is deeply disturbing. We followed the genetic screening protocol and even any test cannot screen for all 20,000 human genes unless you know what to see.”

The complexity of sperm donation across the boundaries is also an important challenge.

Since the donor sperm is distributed internationally, it becomes rapidly difficult to track and ensure safety.

While the donor is allegedly healthy and unaware of mutation at the time of charity, the fact that his genetic version has now affected dozens of children and their families, many of which now face life medical intervention.

Kasper’s team has called for a serious review of genetic counseling and sperm donation policies for all affected children.